Avalanche the Band
Avalanche the Band
Avalanche the Band is a professional, energetic rock band based out of Detroit, Michigan consisting of Nick Rautenberg (Vocals), Nick Grucz (Guitar), Mike Paraski (Bass), and Gordon Keevis (Drums). Avalanche brings influences from classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and The Doors, then blends them with more recent influences like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine and Tool to create an impressive goldmine of songs for all generations. Established in 2019 out of South Lyon, MI, original members Grucz and Rautenberg founded the group with hopes of inspiring the world with their music. They have released one EP, self-titled "Avalanche," as well as three singles, "Primrose Path," "Safety Net" & "Lightning Bison."[1][2][3]
History
Before Avalanche (2015-2019)
In the spring of 2015, Nick Grucz started to look for musicians to form a cover band. His first group was formed with his high school friends John Meadows (Guitar and Vocals) and Evan Dancik (Drums); they called themselves The Dayze. After replacing John with guitarist Jimmy Sharpe and adding vocalist Andre Romano, Grucz reached out to his friend Nick Rautenberg asking him to join the band as a keyboardist. He joined eagerly but soon replaced Romano as the band's vocalist. They disbanded in 2016 but that did not stop Grucz and Rautenberg from pursuing their dreams. The two attempted to conjure several new bands over the next year, trying out anyone they could find including Grucz's mother. Their efforts seemed futile until they met Joe Bida.
In early winter of 2017, Bida, Grucz, and Rautenberg founded their first original works band, Den of Greece, with Rautenberg on drums and Grucz & Bida on vocals while switching between bass and guitar. The band got recognized quickly by local promoters due to their large crowd pull and the enticing chemistry between Bida and Grucz. They landed many gigs and released one album containing eight songs, self-titled "Den of Greece," over the next year. However, in February of 2018, Rautenberg announced that he had to quit the band to pursue a career in the automotive industry. Consequently, a new drummer was needed. Gordon Keevis auditioned in March and was accepted into the band after five minutes of the tryout. "This new line up is perfect," says Grucz. The trio landed many gigs at local venues including Harpos and The Token Lounge and recorded a second album before they disbanded in January of 2019. Promptly following the band's breakup, Rautenberg (having a new motivation to make music again) contacted Grucz with a simple text: "We should start a band with the name Avalanche."[4]
The start of Avalanche (2019-2021)
Grucz reached out to his friend Marty Bida (Joe's younger brother) asking him to play guitar while Grucz played drums and Rautenberg sang. They recruited a bassist by the name of Chris Todd who helped write their first song, "Distribution." After one month of playing together, Grucz ran into an old friend at the liquor store on the way to practice... drummer, Kaelan Smith. The band had expressed their discontent for Grucz's drumming earlier that week so he asked Smith if he would join the band as a new drummer while he picked up lead guitar. Smith joined enthusiastically, however, Chris Todd stopped attending practice shortly after Smith's acceptance into the band. Consequently, Marty and Grucz revived the recipe of alternating between guitar and bass while Smith played drums and Rautenberg sang. This lineup proved to work quite well and allowed the band to develop faster than ever before. "That was Avalanche," claimed Marty.
Avalanche began recording a six-song EP in Grucz's home studio in September of 2019, self-titled "Avalanche." The EP consisted of all original compositions including one instrumental. The recording process spanned 6 months and was done entirely DIY. The band did not outsource anything from the mixing to the artwork and even burned their own CDs. It was projected to release in June 2020 but in March the band was forced into hiatus due to the worldwide pandemic commonly known as COVID-19. Marty feared the future of the music scene and resigned from the band that month. In spite of losing their guitarist/bassist and not being able to perform in public, the band still planned to release the album in September and host a release show at Grucz's girlfriend's house. Avalanche now needed a bassist, so Smith suggested they sign up on a musician connection website called BandMix. They found and tried out four players in total, one of which being Mike Paraski. He was a part of several bands throughout his career but had recently "taken a break" from playing. However, deciding to conclude his sabbatical he signed up to BandMix "right in the nick of time," he claimed. Joining in August of 2020, he learned all of their songs in time to perform at the release show the following month on September 19th.
Avalanche becomes "Avalanche the Band" (2021-present)
The show marked a pivotal point for Avalanche. Having drawn a much larger crowd than they expected and selling most of their merchandise even after a 6-month hiatus, they knew they were on to something. Smith, Paraski, Rautenberg, and Grucz discovered that they were not the only musical group with the name "Avalanche," so they decided changing their name to "Avalanche the Band" would provide sufficient distinction. Under this adapted name they commenced the recording of their first single, "Primrose Path." It was released on January 14th, 2021. For the next year the group built an impressive repertoire of songs and performed all over southern Michigan. Their second single, "Safety Net," was recorded on August 28th and released on October 19th, 2021. The band was not pleased with the production of the track and chose to stifle the release, later removing it from social platforms and making it unavailable to the public. Thus, they lunged into the recording of their next single, "Lightning Bison."
Recorded on January 8th and 9th, 2022 at Raydon Studios, Lightning Bison proved to be yet another pivotal point for Avalanche the Band. One week prior to its recording, drummer Kaelan Smith announced his intent of departing from the band. He stayed to record his parts but moved out of state immediately following its completion. Left once again to adopt a new member, Grucz got ahold of his old friend, & former bandmate Gordon Keevis hoping to fill the spot. Keevis tried out on January 29th, 2022 and was, "accepted before he arrived," stated Grucz. Avalanche the Band, now consisting of Keevis, Paraski, Grucz and Rautenberg, paired up with Uptown Studios in July 2022 to start recording their second album.[5]
Band Members
Current Members:
- Nick Rautenberg
Lead Vocals (Jan, 2019-present)
- Nick Grucz
Lead Guitar (Jan, 2019-present), Backing Vocals (July, 2020-present), Bass Guitar (Jan, 2019-Dec, 2020)
- Mike Paraski
Bass Guitar (Aug, 2020-present), Backing Vocals (Dec, 2020-present)
- Gordon Keevis
Drums (Jan, 2022-present)[6]
Former Members:
- Kaelan Smith:
Drums (Feb, 2019-Jan, 2022)
- Marty Bida:
Lead Guitar (Jan, 2019-March, 2020), Bass Guitar (Jan, 2019-March, 2020)
Musical Styles and Influences
...
Discography
| Release Date | Song | Album | Band Members |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 19th, 2020 | Distribution | Avalanche (EP) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Marty Bida - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar |
| September 19th, 2020 | Execution of Time | Avalanche (EP) | Kaelan Smith - Drums
Marty Bida - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar |
| September 19th, 2020 | Getting There | Avalanche (EP) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums, Backing Vocals Marty Bida - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar, Backing Vocals Starr Bryann - Backing Vocals Laura Edwards - Backing Vocals |
| September 19th, 2020 | Finalists Arrive | Avalanche (EP) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Marty Bida - Guitar Nick Grucz - Bass Starr Bryann - Backing Vocals Laura Edwards - Backing Vocals |
| September 19th, 2020 | Bomb Jockey | Avalanche (EP) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Marty Bida - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar |
| September 19th, 2020 | Imagine Knowing | Avalanche (EP) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums, Backing Vocals Marty Bida - Guitar Nick Grucz - Bass, Backing Vocals Starr Bryann - Backing Vocals Laura Edwards - Backing Vocals |
| January 14th, 2021 | Primrose Path | Primrose Path (Single) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Mike Paraski - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar |
| October 19th, 2021 | Safety Net | Safety Net (Single) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Mike Paraski - Bass Nick Grucz - Guitar |
| May 13th, 2022 | Lightning Bison | Lightning Bison (Single) | Nick Rautenberg - Vocals
Kaelan Smith - Drums Mike Paraski - Bass, Backing Vocals Nick Grucz - Guitar, Backing Vocals |
- ↑ "Avalanche the Band". Spotify. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ↑ "Avalanche the Band". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ↑ "Avalanche The Band". https://avalanchetheband.com/about. Retrieved 2022-07-12. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Den of Greece | Rock Band | South Lyon, MI". website. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ↑ bravadopress (2022-06-03). "ROCK RUNDOWN FOR 6/3/22". BRAVADO PRESS. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
- ↑ "Avalanche The Band - About". avalanchetheband.com. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
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